LyondellBasell Chemical Plant Flaring Prompts Alert for Bayport Area Residents

A bright column of flame and smoke climbed above LyondellBasell's Bayport Polymers facility at 12001 Bay Area Blvd. on the afternoon of March 25, drawing eyes across Pasadena and southeast Harris County while a sustained rumbling noise reached neighborhoods well beyond the plant perimeter.

LyondellBasell issued a community alert warning residents they might see a bright flame, observe drifting smoke, or hear that rumbling from the Bayport Polymers complex, and said crews were "working to stop the flaring as quickly and safely as possible." The company framed the event as a process response, not an uncontrolled fire, and stated its priority was to "minimize inconvenience and protect the safety of the community, the environment, and employees." The specific operational conditions that triggered the flare were not immediately identified.

No shelter-in-place or school advisory was issued. Air monitoring teams deployed to surrounding neighborhoods found initial readings that did not reach levels requiring public action, and officials told Pasadena residents there was no need to take any steps if they noticed flames or smelled smoke. The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office maintained a presence at the facility throughout the response alongside local environmental monitoring units.

Residents who notice odors, experience symptoms, or want to report unusual emissions from the Bayport corridor can file a complaint with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through its 24-hour Texas Environmental Help Line at 1-888-777-3186.

The March 25 event arrived just 13 days after a more serious incident at LyondellBasell's separate Bayport Choate site, two miles away at 10801 Choate Road. That March 12 fire burned for hours before crews contained it with no reported injuries, producing its own series of community alerts and a multi-agency response that included Harris County Pollution Control Services monitoring. ABC13's review of TCEQ records, conducted in the wake of that fire, found 36 instances of unauthorized air contaminant releases at the Bayport facility over the previous five years. Environmental group Air Alliance Houston reported the Choate site alone logged 30 emergency response events before March 12, that LyondellBasell spent four of the past 12 quarters out of compliance with the Clean Air Act, and that the company ranked among the top 20 highest air toxics emitters in Harris County. TCEQ records show the company made some corrections after prior investigations, but advocates argue enforcement has not matched the pace of incidents.

The back-to-back flaring episodes have renewed calls from community and environmental organizations for independent, real-time air monitoring and stronger public notification across the Bayport corridor, where dozens of chemical plants and refineries operate in close proximity to Pasadena neighborhoods. The Bayport Polymers facility, which opened in 1974 and reached its 50-year mark in 2024, had not released a timeline for returning the affected unit to stable operating conditions as of late March.